The veil ban was ordered at Birmingham University School of Medicine to "help aid good communications" between Muslim medical students, their colleagues and patients, a statement said.

It added that Muslim women can cover their faces in lectures and around campus but not in the "clinical environments" of hospital buildings and GPs' surgeries.

Female Muslim students who wear the veil must show their faces if they're talking to patients in hospitals or surgery or if they are meeting with other medical staff, the statement said.

They can only cover their faces with surgical masks in the sterile surroundings of an operating theatre, it added.

The Birmingham University School of Medicine has 450 students of different religions and sends them for practice to a number of hospitals and primary care units, including the University Hospital of Birmingham NHS Trust.

"We do not place restrictions on the wearing of headscarves by staff or students, except in cases where they are required to work in a clinical environment, a spokesman said.

"This is particularly the case when it involves direct contact with patients. In these cases students are allowed to wear a headdress as part of their religious observance, as long as it does not cover the face."

"This is necessary to help aid communications with patients and other colleagues," he added.

Muslim Labour MP Khalid Mahmood, whose constituency is in Birmingham, said: "We have to consider the safety and security of all, as there are times when people must be identified."

"Removal is fine where professional issues are called into question, when doctors and nurses meet with patients," he added.

The hospitals' ban came amid a nationwide debate over the veil that was sparked by the House of Commons Leader Jack Straw, who described the Niqab as a "visible statement of separation" and said that he asks all veiled Muslim women visiting his constituency office in Blackburn to take off their veils.

British Muslim leaders condemned Straw's remarks as "offensive".

And the Islamic Human Rights Commission said that Straw's request for Muslim women to take off their veil was "selective discrimination".

Moreover, Islamophobic attacks, including verbal and physical assaults, have reportedly surged since the ignorant remarks were made, according to campaign groups.

At least six Muslim women have been abused for wearing scarves or veils after Straw's comments.

Güncelleme Tarihi: 20 Eylül 2018, 18:16